Gone
by LetTheWookieWin
Summary: When tragedy strikes, Irma and the Oracle find themselves trying to desperately contain the fallout.  But with the other Guardians out of action and Irma dancing dangerously close to the edge, will their perilous plan succeed?
1. Chapter 1

**AN – **This chapter is a lot more serious and depressing than anything I've ever written before, and that includes my essay on why Mary, Queen of Scots lost her throne, so I hope it reads okay. I'm going to warn you now, dear readers, there are quite a few character deaths but I hope that doesn't put you off. Anyway, please enjoy and shoot me a review with any thoughts.

**Disclaimer – **I own nothing.

...

Pain hit Irma Lair like a speeding train. She screamed, the white hot lightning bolts burning her skin and causing her muscles to freeze. The ghastly stench of her own flesh sizzling under the unbearable heat was enough to make her gag. Nerissa cackled and shot another burst of deadly electricity towards the incapacitated water guardian. Irma screamed again.

"IRMA!"

Somewhere, in the deepest recesses of the girl's mind, she was vaguely aware of the battle raging around her. The terrified yell of one of her teammates was enough to shake her from her agonised daze. She glanced around and grinned in relief as the red-headed leader of the guardians swooped down and used her body to knock Irma's tormentor off balance. The momentary distraction was all Irma needed to shoot a well-aimed, albeit slightly weakened, blast of water at the aged sorceress. The hag gasped in surprise as the torrent of liquid smashed into her and Irma used the opportunity to scramble out of her destructive path.

Her escape was not as swift as she had hoped, however. Irma's aching muscles groaned in protest as she attempted to stand on shaky legs. Blackness was slowly creeping into her vision and she shook her head desperately. She needed to stay awake. Her friends needed her. She could not afford to give in to the oh-so-tempting darkness. An icy gust of wind blasted from behind her and the chilling breeze jolted her into consciousness.

"Not sleeping on the job are we?"

The Guardian of Air floated behind her injured comrade, a small, tight smile gracing her features. Irma easily recognised her friend's fear; the smile was just for show, a blatant attempt to offer the still-smoking water warrior some brief comfort. She was grateful for it. Irma winked and opened her mouth to make some inappropriate but probably very witty quip. It froze on her lips. A strangled scream of warning replaced the joke as Frost the Hunter appeared behind Hay Lin, sword drawn and a murderous grin across his face. The warning came too late, however. The pale girl barely had time to move as the creature thrust his sword into her back.

"NO! HAY LIN!"

Hay Lin stared at the bloody metal protruding from her stomach, her mouth opened in a tiny 'o' shape, shock evident on her delicate features. She slowly blinked at Irma.

"Ouch."

The Asian guardian suddenly dropped from the sky like a rock. Irma yelled in fright and pushed her pain-ridden body forward, arms outstretched and ready to catch her friend. Hay Lin was unnaturally heavy as she collided with the water wielder and the sudden weight was enough to cause Irma's knees to tremble and give way. Tears sprang to the brunette's eyes.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

"Oh gosh," gasped Hay Lin, blinking in surprise, as if she had not actually expected the wound to be so painful, "it r-really hurts."

"Duh," whimpered Irma, placing the air guardian's head in her lap, her trembling hands sweeping wayward strands of Hay Lin's hair from her friend's clammy face, "but it's going to be okay. We're gonna get Will and she can fold us out of here. You'll be fine in no time at all."

"S-sure," giggled Hay Lin, "and then we can p-pester Grandma into m-making some of her famous soup."

"Absolutely," nodded Irma, her eyes frantically searching the impromptu battlefield for Will and trying desperately not to look at the red-stained weapon that was firmly fixed in the other girl's stomach, "I do love me some soup."

Hay Lin chuckled and then groaned in pain, causing Irma's tear-filled eyes to snap back to her friend's face.

"Y-you may have t-to have that soup without me," the injured warrior whispered, "it r-really, r-really hurts."

"Hey, it's going to be okay," urged Irma, "you and I will be eating soup before you know it. Will's going to be here any second and we're gonna hightail it back to Earth. Easy as pie."

Hay Lin let out a shuddering breath.

"W-will you tell Grandma I'm s-sorry? I w-was meant t-to work an extra s-shift at the r-restaurant this weekend. I'm not sure I'm g-gonna make it."

"Don't talk like that, okay?" hissed Irma, tears now streaming freely down her face, "you're my best friend, Hay-Hay, and I'm not gonna let you die."

"You're m-my best friend t-too, Irmy," mumbled Hay Lin, her eyes slowly closing, "I'm g-gonna m-miss you."

"Shut up! Just shut up!"

"P-promise me y-you won't be t-too sad. W-when I'm gone, I m-mean. I n-need you to l-look after Grandma."

"Be quiet, Hay-Hay. You're gonna be fine. I think I see Will and-"

"P-promise me, Irma. 'C-cause I'll c-come back and h-haunt you if you d-don't."

"Okay," sobbed the brunette, "I promise."

"G-good," sighed Hay Lin, her body relaxing in Irma's arms, "I'm a little b-bit s-scared. I d-don't w-want to d-die."

"Then don't! Fight it!"

"I c-can't. It hurts t-too much."

"Please, Hay Lin," cried Irma, barely suppressed sobs shaking her body, "you can't leave me. You can't leave us! What about W.I.T.C.H?"

She did not receive an answer, however. Hay Lin's slight form went limp the Water Guardian's arms, her face adorned with a peaceful smile. If it was not for the gruesome wound, the Asian girl could have been mistaken for sleeping.

"NO!"

Irma's anguished scream was enough to halt the entire battle. Silence reigned for several minutes, no-one entirely sure what had caused the sudden pain-filled outburst. It was only when Frost approached the grieving water wielder, pulled his bloody sword from Hay Lin's body and raised the weapon above his head did the realisation set in.

"The Air brat is dead!" roared Frost, "long live Nerissa!"

"HAY LIN!"

The Guardians broke away from the skirmish and swooped towards the grief-stricken Irma and the broken body of their friend. They stumbled over to the pair, their faces pictures of pure agony.

"What happened?" demanded Will, horror evident on her features.

"F-frost," choked Irma through sobs, "he was b-behind her. I tried to warn her but he was too f-fast and I couldn't find you and she was so scared- Oh God..."

"We need to get out of here," whispered Taranee, her wide eyes fixed on Hay Lin's pale face, "we need to take her home."

"How are we going to tell Yan Lin and her parents?" murmured Cornelia, unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "this will destroy them."

"We can't worry about that now," said Will, slipping into leader mode, and pulling out the Heart of Kandrakar, "time to go."

"Oh, I don't think so, Guardians," laughed Frost, brandishing his sword wildly, his comrades joining his side, "you'll have to get through us first."

"With pleasure," snarled Irma, struggling to her feet, her blood-stained hands clenching into fists, "I'm gonna make you regret the day you ever heard the word 'Guardians.'"

"No way," retorted Taranee, placing a restraining hand on Irma's shoulder, "you can barely stand. You and Will get Hay Lin home. Let me and Corny handle these losers."

"What? Taranee, that bastard killed Hay Lin!"

"I know."

Will stared at Taranee in confusion.

_"T, what are you doing?"_ she asked, tentatively opening the metal link between her and the fire wielding warrior.

_"Irma's in no state to take on the Knights of Vengeance. Her encounter with Nerissa left her seriously drained,"_ answered Taranee, not breaking eye contact with the smirking Frost, _"and I'm a little bit worried about her mental state as well. If she starts beating on Frost, there's no way she's gonna stop. Besides, I want some vengeance too."_

"Alright," Will nodded, "Irma, we're leaving."

"Will!"

"Don't argue. Taranee's right."

"We'll buy you guys some time," agreed Cornelia, "and beat their asses into the ground in the process."

"Be careful," urged Will, one hand firmly gripped on a protesting Irma's arm and the other grasping the Heart of Kandrakar, "I-I can't lose another one of you guys."

"We'll be fine."

"Will, get off! We can't just leave them! No!"

"Irma!" snapped the red-head, hurriedly opening a fold to Kandrakar, "stop struggling!"

In one fluid movement, the Keeper of the Heart shoved Irma through the fold and gently picked up Hay Lin. She looked at Taranee and Cornelia uncertainly, desperately questioning her decision.

"Will, we'll be fine!" yelled Taranee.

"Yeah!" nodded Cornelia, "now hurry up and close that fold before Irma comes barrelling back through!"

"Alright," said Will, her reluctance to step through the fold and leave her friends obvious, "good luck."

"You too."

Will turned towards the fold, Hay Lin still clutched firmly in her arms. She inhaled deeply and attempted to block out the battle cries of Taranee and Cornelia. Now was not the time to worry. The Guardians of fire and earth were both incredibly capable fighters and had bested the Knights of Vengeance on many different occasions. As the red-head stepped into the fold, however, she could not help but think 'so did Hay Lin.'

...

Will watched Yan Lin sob over her granddaughter's body and could not help but succumb to a wave of crashing guilt. She was the leader. It was her duty to ensure that her friends came home to their families and on this occasion she had failed in the worst possible way. The Oracle placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, as if sensing the nature of her thoughts.

"It was not your fault, Keeper of the Heart," he murmured, a sorrowful expression gracing his features, "you must not blame yourself for this."

"Then whose fault was it?" Will sighed, rubbing the tear tracks off of her cheeks, "I'm supposed to protect them and I failed."

Kandrakar was unnaturally silent. The usual cool breeze was absent from the floating palace and there was no playful wind teasing Will's hair. It was as if Hay Lin's very element was in mourning.

"Sometimes," began the Oracle, breaking the eerie silence, "terrible things happen. No-one can truly be blamed for them. I am certain your friends know this."

"I'm not sure Irma does."

"The Water Guardian is scared and upset. She knew Hay Lin the longest and shared her last few moments. That in itself is enough to shake even the steadiest of us."

"How did everything go so wrong?" lamented Will, "it was supposed to be a simple patrol."

"Fate has a funny way of working her magic. We cannot hope to possibly understand it."

"I know but- ARRGH!"

Will suddenly doubled over, clutching her chest in pain. The Heart of Kandrakar began to glow violently and the red-head wailed in agony. Two glowing balls of light swooped into the Council Chambers, closely followed by Luba and Halinor.

"The Aurameres!" cried the cat-woman, "what's happening?"

"Something awful," answered Halinor in horror, watching as the lights circled Will, "we have lost the Guardians of Fire and Earth and if we do not do something soon, we will also lose the Keeper!"

"Council!" cried the Oracle, his hands stretched towards Will and radiating energy, "lend me your power! We must do what we can to save her!"

Despite all his power, however, the Oracle had to struggle with the idea that his Guardian leader may have been beyond saving.

...

"What did you do to her?" screamed Irma, staring at the limp figure floating in the middle of the Council Chambers, "what happened?"

She had been drawn from the medical ward after hearing violent yelling. The fear of losing another one of her friends had caused her to ignore her injuries and race towards the source of the commotion. She was not at all pleased with what she had discovered. The Oracle sighed, feeling utterly weary in the first time for eons.

"The Guardians of Earth and Fire were lost in the battle against Nerissa and the Knights of Vengeance," he answered, wincing as a sob wracked Irma's body, "we can only assume it happened after Will and yourself left. We had to put Will into an enchanted sleep to protect her."

"W-what?"

"You see, the Heart of Kandrakar links you all to Will. The backlash of losing Taranee and Cornelia at the same time caused a sensory overload. She would have died had we not taken action."

"No! You've made a mistake! Corny and Taranee are not dead! They can't be! You need to wake Will up right now and we'll go and get them!"

"Please calm yourself, Irma," soothed the Oracle, "this is difficult to accept but there is no other explanation. Know that your Guardian sisters would not want you to mourn over them."

"No! You're lying to me! They're waiting for us! We can't leave them there!"

"We won't. I assure you. Luba has already left to retrieve their bodies and they will be buried with the highest honours."

"They're not dead!"

"I am sorry, Irma. So very, very sorry."

"No..."

The Oracle's heart broke as he watched the young girl collapse to her knees and bury her face in her hands.

"S-so I'm the only o-one left?"

"Yes and no," sighed the immortal, "when Will's mind has recovered from the trauma we will wake her, but that could be many years from now. There is no way to tell."

"T-there has t-to be a way to f-fix this."

"I wish there was."

"N-no," stated Irma, lifting her tear-stained face to meet the Oracle's, "there is a way. And I'm g-gonna find it and fix t-this whole mess."

If the Oracle was concerned over the mental state of his only remaining Guardian, he did not show it. His mind was racing. He knew of a way to remedy the situation but it was far-fetched and he was certain that the Council would not support it for several good reasons. Nevertheless, the immortal saw the teenager's desperation as an opportunity to right so many wrongs and it was for that reason alone that he shared his knowledge.

"If you're serious about saving the Guardians," he murmured, "there is an artefact that could help us. Unfortunately it has been lost for eons and would need unearthing before we could use it, but I believe that it is our only hope."

Irma's eyes snapped to meet the Oracle's serious face.

"And know this, Irma Lair," he warned, "what I am about to propose is riddled with risk. Think carefully before you agree. And of you do agree, the Council cannot know."

"B-but I can save m-my friends?"

"And many others if my plan goes correctly."

"T-then I'm in."


	2. Four Years Later

**AN – **Welcome to Chapter Two. Thanks to those who reviewed last time, it's great to know that you guys are enjoying the story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as the Oracle's plan is revealed, Irma gains a sidekick and there is a car chase. Don't forget to shoot me a review if you have any thoughts.

**Disclaimer – **I own nothing.

...

FOUR YEARS LATER

"Drive, Short Round, drive!"

The tiny girl seated in the driver's seat of Irma Lair's battered old jeep squeaked in surprise as the seventeen year-old ex-Guardian jumped in the back, an old duffel bag hanging from her shoulder. The child did not need telling twice. Despite the inability to see over the steering wheel and the difficulty she faced in reaching the pedals, the girl slammed her foot down on the accelerator and raced the car out onto the road. Irma grinned at her miniature sidekick and hopped into the front passenger seat.

"Do you have to call me 'Short Round?'" asked the girl, absentmindedly blowing a strand of her muddy brown hair out of her face, "I like 'Indiana Jones' just as much as the next kid but you've clearly seen it waaay too many times."

"You can never see 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' too many times, Sidekick," laughed Irma, "and you gotta admit it, you kinda are Short Round."

Sidekick huffed in a fashion that only young children can achieve successfully.

"I always thought I was more of a 'Batgirl' sidekick than a Short Round."

"No way," argued Irma, wincing slightly as the car swerved violently to avoid a collision with another vehicle, "I can easily picture you saying; "Okie dokie Dr. Jones. Hold on to your potatoes.'"

The sudden wailing of sirens interrupted Sidekick's response and the pair groaned at the sight of flashing blue lights. Irma suddenly grinned and stared at her tiny companion expectantly.

"Say it. You know you want to."

"No."

"Go on."

"Not gonna happen."

"I'll buy you an ice cream."

"Okie dokie Dr. Jones," muttered Sidekick rather reluctantly, her foot edging towards the accelerator, "hold on to your potatoes."

"Yes!"

Sidekick's foot pressed heavily onto the gas pedal and the car rocketed forwards. The dumfounded police officers blinked in surprise at the sudden speed of their target vehicle and, after calling for back-up, gave chase.

"Oh, buggering bollocks," swore Sidekick violently as she caught sight of the approaching police car in the interior mirror.

"Don't swear," retorted Irma, raising an eyebrow at her tiny companion's use of language, "you're only six, you shouldn't be using such crass words."

"I also shouldn't be helping a crazy ex-Guardian rob a museum or be on the run from the Po-Po either."

"Please don't use the term 'Po-Po.' You're not an angsty teenaged gangster."

"Are you dissin' the way I talk?"

"Only if you keep using words like 'dissing.'"

Sidekick pouted and half-heartedly pulled a rude finger gesture in the direction of the following police officers. After a moment of awkward silence, she glanced at Irma's duffel bag.

"I'm assuming you managed to steal what you went in for?"

"'Steal' is such an ugly word," smirked Irma, "I prefer 'liberated.' And yes, yes I did."

"Can I see it?"

"Dude, we're on the run from the police and you're driving. Now's not a good time for you to be distracted."

"You're such a lame-brain."

Irma just laughed wildly, the euphoria of her success finally catching up to her. Sidekick rolled her eyes and swerved to avoid knocking over a woman pushing a pram, all the while wondering why she had decided to follow the reckless Guardian to Earth. The child had been perfectly happy working in the Royal Library of Meridian. After all, books did not persuade young children to act as a getaway drivers.

A quick look in the mirror told Sidekick that their pursuers were still firmly on their tail. She swallowed nervously and glanced at Irma. The Guardian was still chuckling away to herself and Sidekick hurriedly came to the conclusion that she would be no help if they were caught. Desperately, she began to run through all the excuses she knew for why a six-year-old would be driving a getaway vehicle after just helping rob a museum. Unsurprisingly, she had very few.

Just as the police car began to edge closer, however, a crackling, purple portal suddenly opened just in front of them. Sidekick cheered in relief and sped towards the inter-dimensional gateway leading to Kandrakar. The portal swallowed the battered jeep before shrivelling away and disappearing with a slight 'pop.' Needless to say, the police officers following the aforementioned jeep, after regaling their colleagues with the bizarre tale, would be the laughing stock of their department for many years to come.

...

"You found the last part?"

Irma nodded and smiled at the equally excited Oracle. The bald immortal beamed at her. The years had not been too harsh on his only remaining charge. The last Guardian was far taller and far less scrawny than she had been in the early days of W.I.T.C.H and her face had lost the remnants baby fat left over from childhood. She had developed into a stunning young woman. Her azure eyes, however, were duller than they once were; sadder and less trusting. The loss of her friends still weighed heavily on her soul.

"Yep. It took four years but I found it."

"Excellent. Can I see it?"

"Oooh," cried Sidekick, still seated in Irma's jeep, "can I see too?"

The Oracle had been oddly unsurprised at the car racing through his chambers and colliding into his wall. He had merely raised an eyebrow and calmly offered the intruders some tea. Irma had declined, ordered Sidekick to remain in the battered vehicle and hopped over the door.

"Well, I need you to translate," answered Irma, motioning for the chubby-faced child to toss her the duffel bag, "so I'm gonna go with 'yeah.'"

"Oh right."

The ex-Guardian nimbly caught the bag as it flew through the air and reached inside. When her hand emerged again, it was clutching a weathered stone tablet that had clearly seen far more years than she. Unfamiliar characters danced across the surface, befuddling both the Oracle and the brunette. Sidekick, on the other hand, squealed in delight.

"Yes! Ancient Avalonian! That's got to be my all time favourite ancient language! It's so much deeper and more complex than Ancient Meridian."

"You are one odd child," muttered Irma, raising an eyebrow at the girl's outburst.

"I'm a Lingua, remember? Languages are kinda my thing."

"And yet you still refer to the police as the 'Po-Po.'"

"You suck."

The Oracle chuckled and tentatively accepted the heavy slate of rock.

"It is rather stunning," he admitted, "the others were just as beautiful but I suspect that knowing we are so close to our goal makes this tablet all the more precious."

He glanced up at a sulking Sidekick.

"How long will it take you to translate it?"

"I dunno, you're kind of hogging it," pouted Sidekick. At Irma's pointed glare, the child sighed and looked back at the Oracle, "but judging from the time it took me to translate the last four, I'm guessing a couple of hours."

"Can you wait that long?" the Oracle asked Irma, placing the stone tablet gently in Sidekick's eagerly outstretched arms.

"I've been waiting for four years," commented the ex-Guardian wryly, "I think I can handle a few more hours. I'll go see Will whilst Sidekick does her thing."

"Alright."

"I'll be super quick," promised Sidekick, her eyes wide with anticipation, "I know this is important."

"Thanks, girl."

"Are you kidding? I should be thanking YOU. This is awesome!"

"Only you could get excited over some old letters, Sidekick," laughed Irma as she walked through the large doorway, "but I'll accept that 'thank you' nonetheless."

...

Four years Will Vandom had spent in suspended animation. Four long, painful, mind-numbing years. The girl in question remained unaware of this fact. Her fast-talking, wise-cracking, water-wielding friend was all too aware, however. After all, she was the one who had lived through them. The Guardian Leader's still form floated in the centre of a sparsely decorated chamber, suspended in a gentle pink glow. The Heart of Kandrakar hung from her neck and Irma stared at it longingly. It was a symbol of those good times before the incident; back when they were still W.I.T.C.H. Before the loneliness, before the uncertainty. Will's face was graced with a peaceful expression, one far more serene than Irma had ever seen when her leader was awake.

"Hey Will," she croaked, the sight of her old friend washing her with nostalgia, "I'm sorry it's been so long."

Talking to Will was a tradition that Irma had adopted a few weeks after the incident. At first she had visited every day, in an effort to sooth some of her soul-destroying loneliness, but as time went on she had become more and more absorbed in the Oracle's plan and found herself with less time to visit. It was something that she deeply regretted.

"I'd ask you how you've been, but you probably wouldn't answer."

It was a pointless, and slightly tasteless, joke and Irma cringed as soon as it had left her lips. The familiar humour, however, served its purpose and took the painful edge off of the one-sided conversation. Irma sighed and ran a hand through her auburn curls.

"A lot has happened since we last talked. When was that? Wow, nearly eight months ago. Sidekick says, wait, you remember Sidekick right? She's the kid I met in the Meridian Library last year. She's a little brat, a cute brat admittedly, but a brat nonetheless. She kinda reminds me of Christopher. Man, it's been a while since I've seen him as well. My schedule's been pretty hectic recently. I've kinda ignored my folks since...well...y'know."

Irma cleared her throat and awkwardly changed the subject. She had attempted to forget that unpleasant time by merely avoiding the issue. Both the Oracle and Yan Lin had urged her to deal with the incident in a more healthy fashion. Irma, however, had responded by cutting off all contact with her family, disappearing for months on end and throwing herself completely into the Oracle's plan. It was not a very intelligent solution and Irma knew that if the Guardians had been there to witness her destructive behaviour, their fury would be almost unbearable. But, as much as Irma wished otherwise, the Guardians were not there and a solution was a solution. Closing herself off was the only way she knew to keep herself from breaking down. Besides, if all went to plan, the deaths of her sisters would only be a temporary situation.

"I know I've been pretty vague about what I've been doing recently," admitted Irma, a sudden surge of guilt flooding through her veins, "but the Oracle made me promise not to tell. The Council wouldn't agree. Actually, you probably wouldn't either."

The brunette sighed. Four long years she had kept her secret. She knew that the secrecy was necessary and the paralysing fear of losing her friends fuelled her silence. But four years was a long time and Irma needed Will to understand. Needed her to understand that what Irma was doing was not selfish and that it was to make everything _better_. Because sometimes, in those fleeting moments of doubt, Irma was not really sure herself.

"All our problems can be traced back to one person," began the ex-Water Guardian slowly, "Nerissa. It's all her fault. She killed Cassidy and turned on her friends. She set up the Knights of Vengeance and arranged the attack that cost Hay Lin, Corny and Taranee their lives. She's the one who holds sole responsibility for the fact that you're floating from the ceiling like a broken puppet. She destroys everything she touches and does so with a grin firmly plastered across her face. She's a monster and sometimes, when I'm lying in bed, all I can see is her face and hear her laughter. I hate her for that. I hate that she took everything from us and can still finds ways to inflict so much pain and fear. I've got nothing left to give, Will, barring my sanity. And sometimes, I'm scared she's taken that as well."

Irma inhaled deeply, slightly shocked by her own confession.

"But I'm going to stop her, Will," she continued, a spark of defiance glittering in her azure eyes, "the Oracle and I, we have a plan. You see, there are these rocks called the Tablets of Tempus scattered all over the world. There are five of them and over the last four years, I've been tracking them down. It's quite funny really; the last one was in a museum exhibit in Heatherfield. It seems that everything seems to come back to that place. Anyway, inscribed in each tablet is an incantation and when all five incantations are recited together, a portal is opened. But it's not just any portal, Will. It's a portal that opens the gaps between time and space and theoretically, should allow me to travel back to before this whole mess started. That's right. I'm gonna do a Marty McFly on you."

If the red-headed girl had heard any of Irma's speech, she did not acknowledge the words. She remained in the frozen, serene position she had been in for the past four years. Irma gulped, her final confession dancing on the tip of her tongue.

"I'm going back to when C.H.Y.K.N were Guardians," she admitted, the words heavy in her mouth, "and I'm going to stop Nerissa before she can hurt anyone. I-I'm going to kill her, Will. I'm going to kill her before she can kill the others and if that makes me a murderer, then so be it."

Irma gulped, attempting to swallow the bile that had risen to her throat at the thought of taking another life, even one as foul as Nerissa.

"I-I'm a little bit scared," she whispered faintly, "but I can't live the rest of my life without you guys. I need you to understand that and know that I'm doing this to make everything okay again."

"Irma!"

The young voice echoed in the empty chamber and jolted the ex-Guardian from her confessions. Irma whirled around to face the source of the noise and caught sight of a beaming Sidekick hopping in the doorway.

"I've done it!" she cried with barely concealed excitement, "the last tablet, it's translated! We're ready to send you back!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Quickly! Let's go, the Oracle's waiting!"

Sidekick did not wait for a response before racing back down the hallway. Irma followed after her but not before shooting once last glance at her slumbering leader.

"I promise, boss," she murmured, "I promise to fix this. You can count on me."

Will did not answer, not that Irma had expected her to, but the water-wielder took her silence as a yell of encouragement. With a small grin, she turned and followed her tiny partner down the corridors of Kandrakar. If Irma had stayed even a moment longer, however, she would have noticed that her one-sided conversation with Will had had an unwanted eavesdropper. The bearded figure of Tibor stepped out from behind a pillar, a worried expression hidden beneath his facial hair.

"The Council must be informed," he frowned, glancing at the floating form of the Guardian leader, "I fear that the Water Guardian has lost her mind. She must be stopped before she invokes grave consequences."

Irma's already complex mission had suddenly become far more difficult and the young woman remained completely unaware.


End file.
